This invention relates in general to battery assemblies and, more particularly, to a magnesium electrochemical cell using a magnesium anode as a packaging material.
With the development of portable computers and other portable devices requiring batteries, there is a high demand for lightweight thin layer solid state batteries. A common thin layer solid state battery is the lithium anode cell. A lithium anode cell typically includes a lithium anode, a transition metal oxide polymer composite cathode and a solid or liquid electrolyte which includes a dissolved lithium salt. For an example of such batteries, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,732 to Austin et al.
Since lithium is highly reactive in the presence of oxygen, nitrogen and moisture, the lithium anode in lithium anode cells must be sealed from the atmosphere by means of packaging material. The necessity to employ packaging material to enclose a lithium anode cell increases the thickness of the solid state batteries employing lithium anode cells. Where lightweight and compactness are especially important, as in many portable electronic devices, it is desirable to provide solid state batteries which are lighter and occupies less space than a commercially available lithium anode type solid state battery.